UCLA running back T.J. Harden #25 ran for over 100 yards for the first time this season against Iowa. Overall, the Bruins gained 211 yards on the ground.
UCLA defensive players Devin Kirkwood #3, left, and Kain Medrano #20, stop an Iowa player at the Rose Bowl on November 8. The Bruins won the game 20-17.
The resilient UCLA Bruins football team found their running game on last Friday Night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, beating the Iowa Hawkeyes, 20-17. The victory was the third consecutive win for the Bruins, improving their record for the season to 4-5, while the loss dropped the Hawkeyes to 6-4 on the season.
The Bruins had to overcome a rough start in the game, with four first quarter penalties and two turnovers that led to a 10-0 first quarter deficit. The offense exploded in the second quarter for 17 points, with kicker Mateen Bhaghani nailing a 57-yard field goal to get the scoring started, cutting the lead to 10-3.
On the following series, UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger intercepted a pass from Iowa quarterback Brendan Sullivan, setting the Bruins up a first down on the Iowa 45-yard line. Six plays and 45 yards later, the Bruins scored on a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ethan Garbers to wide receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, who ran a flat route to the corner of the end zone for the touchdown.
The Bruins took a 17-10 lead just before the end of the half when Garbers connected with wide receiver Logan Loya on a 29-yard touchdown pass. Loya was running a seam route between defenders and Garbers hit Loya with a beautiful strike inside the five yard-yard line, where Loya then bounced off a tackler and into the end zone for the score.
The third quarter was scoreless, but the Hawkeyes finally scored early in the fourth quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by Kamari Moulton with 11:27 left in the game. The drive was led by backup quarterback Jackson Stratton, who came in for Sullivan after he was knocked out of the game from several hard hits from the Bruin defenders. It was reported after the game that Sullivan had a sprained ankle.
The Bruins took the ensuing kickoff and drove 66 yards in 13 plays, with the drive culminating in a Bhaghani 27-yard field goal with 4:49 remaining in the game. From there, the Bruins defense held the Hawkeyes offense to four yards in three plays, forcing a punt. The Bruins offense ran the clock out behind the physical running of T.J. Hardin, who ripped off runs of 15 and 14 yards to end the game and clinch the victory for the Bruins.
UCLA has struggled to run the football this season, but against the Hawkeyes they rushed for a season-high 211 yards on the ground, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Hardin became the first Bruins back this season to go over 100 yards, rushing for 125 yards on 20 carries.
The Bruins run defense, which is currently ranked 7th in the nation in average rushing yards allowed per game at 98.1 yards, held Iowa star running back Kaleb Johnson to 49 yards rushing, well below his average of 142 yards per game. Johnson game into the game as the second leading rusher in the nation. The Bruins defense held Iowa to just 80 yards on the ground, and a total of 265 yards on offense.
Schwesinger was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week with two interceptions and seven tackles. For the season, Schwesinger leads the Big Ten in solo tackles with 59 and is second in the nation in that category. He also has three sacks and a forced fumble on the season.
UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster, in his first season as the head coach, got off to a rough 1-5 start. Three of the losses were to teams currently ranked in the CFP Top Five in the nation. But wins at Rutgers, at Nebraska, and at home over a good Iowa team have proven that UCLA is underrated, and Foster is underappreciated. This was never going to be an easy job this season due to the fact that he took over late in the recruiting cycle.
"Played a good game, came out and executed," Foster said. "We wanted to really stop the run, and we did that. Offensively, we were able to run the ball. Had a few turnovers, but we can work on those. But that was a really good team we were playing against. It's good that we were able to protect home field and get a victory. I just like how resilient my guys are. We always show how resilient we are each week."
"They're truly locked into the process," Foster added. "They understand that we had to build the foundation first before we could put the house up. I'm just glad that I have players that had the patience." A crowd of 53,467 fans showed up to support the Bruins last Friday Night.
Foster took note of this. "This is a great university, and we're lucky that we're all able to be Bruins, and I'm glad that we're putting out the kind of product that makes people want to come out and support us."
The Bruins have three more regular season games remaining, one this Friday Night, November 15 in Seattle against the Washington Huskies and the final two games at home against the USC Trojans on Saturday November 23, and Saturday November 30 against the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Bruins will stay on the west coast for the final three games.
UCLA needs to get to six wins to become bowl eligible. Washington has a record of 5-5 and needs a win to become bowl eligible. Washington has a 19-game winning streak at Husky Stadium, so this will not be an easy task for the UCLA Bruins football team.
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